BEC® is a mixture of the triglycosides: solasonine and solamargine that has anti-cancer activity. Studies on the mode of action of BEC® indicate that the glycosides gain entry to cancer cells via a cell surface receptor and that the in vitro toxicity of BEC® to cancer cells is reduced by co-administration of rhamnose.
The presence of endogenous endocytic ligand receptors (EEL) has been an area of clinical research for over 2 decades. The first EEL to be identified was the asialoglycoprotein receptor on mammalian hepatocytes with specificity for galactose (Ashwell & Hardford 1982). Since this time other hepatic receptors have been identified. For example, fucose (Lehrman et al 1986), GalNAc (Kolb-Bachofen etal 1984), as well as a number of cell receptors identified by Cramer and Gabius (1991). EEL's may be involved in cellular recognition, cell adhesion or substrate binding.
To date no one has isolated and/or characterised the cell surface receptor that is central to BEC®'s mode of action. The present invention seeks to overcome or at least partially alleviate this problem.